Imagine being on a dating app, swiping through profiles to find your perfect match. Suddenly, a message from a potential match pops up filled with sexual advances, but instead of keeping the intimacy between you two, they start making demands and threatening to expose your nude content. This is the terrifying reality of Hinge sextortion, a scam plaguing online daters since at least 2015. If you want to learn more about Hinge sextortion and how to stop it, keep reading.
How Common Is Hinge Sextortion?
With more than 23 million users on Hinge, the risk of falling victim to sextortion is, unfortunately, high. These sneaky scammers prey on unsuspecting users of dating apps and social media platforms to carry out their tricks. Using the anonymity these platforms provide, sextortionists can easily disguise their real identities, making it even harder to track them down.
To better understand how common it is, equating the number of victims to their financial losses is helpful. According to the FTC, the losses from online dating scams have risen dramatically in the past few years. In 2018, victims lost a total of $143 million, quadrupling the amount lost in 2015. But even more alarming is the latest report, which shows a staggering loss of $547 million in 2021, an increase of 80% from 2020. You should also remember the countless unreported romance scams, making these numbers far higher.
How to Stop Sextortion on Hinge?
Sextortion is a crime that can carry on for an outrageous time if it is not reported. In most situations, victims are willing to do whatever they can to avoid being exposed online, so they agree to keep quiet and send money. Doing this will only worsen the situation and allow the sextortionist to maintain power and return for more money.
To make the sextortion on Hinge end for good, implement the following steps into your plan of attack.
- Document the harassment, threats, and any telling information that can help with an investigation. Take screenshots of names, emails, accounts, numbers, etc.
- Report the sextortionist and their messages to Hinge. This will help ban or get their account deleted.
- Confide in family and friends. Sextortion is traumatic, so gathering as much support as needed is essential.
- Look into hiring a cyber investigator to help uncover your sextortionists identity using their cybercrime expertise.
- Lastly, make a report to your local police and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The more support you have, the better your chances of ending the abuse for good.
Where to Report It?
If you’ve experienced sextortion while using the Hinge dating app, the first step is to take action. We suggest reporting the incident to Hinge’s platform and contacting the police, the FBI, and a cyber investigator.
To report on Hinge, do the following:
- Go to the person’s profile you would like to report
- Click on the three dots “…” at the top right corner
- Click report
- Tap on the reason why you would like to report them
To report to the FBI:
- Go to https://www.ic3.gov/
- Click on the red button, “File a complaint.”
- Follow the steps
To report to your local police, you can take the evidence you have gathered and make your way to their local station to make a report. Lastly, you can make a report to us here at Digital Investigation. We specialize in cybercrime, especially sextortion, and have successful tactics to combat this crime. Give us a call today (our sextortion helpline) or chat with one of our online representatives.
Summary
Hinge sextortion is a devastating experience, but it’s important to remember that you are not powerless. You can take back your power and fight the crime of sextortion. Remember to speak out against the person extorting you and contact the police, cybercrime experts, and people who will support you emotionally. All of these steps can contribute towards ensuring your safety and help prevent any future online harassment. Together let’s stay strong and advocate for those whose voices have been silenced by the fear of sextortion – take a stand today and report it!
